Immigrants slain whether ransom was paid or not

LOS ANGELES - Two men were convicted Wednesday of orchestrating a ruthless kidnapping-for-ransom scheme targeting Russian immigrants that resulted in the murders of five people whose bodies were found at the bottom of a Northern California reservoir.

A federal court jury found Iouri Mikhel, 41, and Jurijus Kadamovas, 40, guilty of three counts of hostage-taking resulting in death and three counts of conspiracy. Both could face the death penalty.

Neither defendant showed any reaction to the verdicts. Relatives of some of the victims sobbed and held each other as the decision of the nine-man, three-woman jury was announced.

"It's a very bittersweet day," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan DeWitt. "I'm happy that the families got some justice, but it hardly makes up for the loss of their loved ones."

The penalty phase of the trial was scheduled to begin Jan. 24.

During the 63-day trial, federal prosecutors portrayed the two defendants as the leaders of a group that sought to amass a fortune by kidnapping affluent Russian immigrants from the San Fernando Valley in late 2001 and early 2002 and extort money from the families and friends of their hostages.

Regardless of whether ransom was paid, prosecutors said, the victims were murdered and their bodies were tied with weights and dumped in the New Melones Reservoir near Yosemite National Park.

The outcome was a stark contrast to the promise made by the kidnappers to some of their hostages that they would be freed, prosecutors said.

Those killed were real estate developer Meyer Muscatel; Russian banking mogul George Safiev; Safiev's accountant, Rita Pekler; Safiev's business partner, Nick Kharabadze; and Alexander Umansky, who owned a car accessory business.

"Today is my birthday and it's the happiest birthday in my life," said Ruven Umansky, 73, father of Alexander Umansky.

After receiving $1.2million in ransom, Mikhel and Kadamovas went on a shopping spree and threw a party, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Dugdale said in his closing arguments.

If not for their arrests in February 2002, the group would have continued its plot and planned to scout other victims in Florida, New York and Colorado, Dugdale said.